Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock

Daisy Bates became a household name in 1957 when she fought for the right of nine black students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

As head of the Arkansas NAACP and advocate for the nine students, Bates would achieve instant fame as the drama played out on national television and in newspapers around the world. But that fame would prove fleeting and controversial.

The film was introduced by the co-editors of Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching Deborah Menkart (executive director, Teaching for Change) and Jenice View (assistant professor, George Mason University); and Julian Hipkins III, history teacher, Capital City Public Charter School. High school students were among the attendees, actively engaging in the small group discussions.

The film showing was sponsored by Independent Television Service (ITVS), WHUT, the Institute for Policy Studies, Busboys and Poets, Washington DC Jewish Community Center, and the Center for Social Media at American University.